"These are not words!" my friend wails helplessly at the speaker, and I can't tell if he's wrong or not. Sure, we could go online and look up the lyrics, but what's the point really? It sounds great the way it is, as undefined syllables that can take on whatever meaning we wish. With its guitar echoes, mighty drums, and unintelligible lyrics, this is an album intoxicated by the exhilaration of pure sound. Muscular and meandering, every moment sounds like it was recorded on an epic journey up Mt. Doom while WU LYF waited for the blizzard to pass, but the beauty of this album is that I could talk to ten people and come away with at least ten different images that the album had suggested to each of them. Rarely is music left this free to evoke whatever moods and associations the listener brings to it, or to reward each interpretation so richly.

When it comes down to it all, one does not need to even have a clue about what WU LYFís message is about. Inevitably, the more we find out about WU LYF, the less significant they will become. Go Tell Fire to the Mountain isnít just striking because of its uniqueness and oddly infectious hooks, or the fact that the record is ballsy, jubilant, or flat-out beautiful at any given time. The Manchester nativesí debut brings about the remarkable sentiment of unity within its anthems, just as Titus Andronicusí The Monitor had done. And isnít that the greatest message of all?

Surprisingly, a record that you can't really understand what he's shouting becomes one of the most relatable and inspirational pieces of music ever. I listened to this album on repeat during a 13 hour flight. Flying over Europe, Africa, deserts, seas and Asia in parallel with the starry night sky with this on is JUST.... one hell of an experience to say the least

This record is fucking thrilling. It sounds, awesomely enough, like the resulting album from studio sessions with Isaac Brock bleating out vocals over an Explosions In The Sky soundscape. I really am at a loss for words; it's often breathtaking. An incredibly inspiring record which has restored a modicum of hope to me that the direction of music in the near future is not doomed. Fantastic, bros.